Catch Me If You Can
by tori2208
Summary: Ella Mitchell used to live in Central City until one day she was just gone. Now she's back her friends are trying to figure out why she left, but she keeps running away from them. Until she finds someone running from their problems even faster than she is.
1. Chapter One

I leaned my head against the cool glass of the train window, watching as the world flashed by. It was so mind-numbingly soothing that I barely registered the voice of the overhead speaker system telling me I had arrived in Central City. I shouldered my backpack and grabbed my suitcase quickly, leaving the train car and barely making it out on time before it sped off it to its next destination. A cool breeze ruffled my hair and the warm sun hit my face as it finally dawned on me.

I'm home.

It had been a while since I was last here, but it didn't feel that way. As I left the train station, I marveled at the beauty that was Central City. I had always loved it here, and, out of everywhere my mom and I moved, this place was the only place that truly felt like home.

Walking around, I noticed all the subtle things that change, nothing major, just wooden park benches were now metal, the play equipment in the park had been redone, the roads had been resurfaced and my old hangout, Jitters, had gotten a makeover. The cool, laid-back coffee shop I once knew had now become this modern marvel worthy of chain coffee shop magazines: all sharp corners and steel counters instead of worn couches and vintage band posters.

Things really do change when you leave them.

I walked in, still taking in the surroundings and headed to the counter, no longer covered in old vinyl's, but instead solid steel.

With a sigh I looked up at the menu, which at least had the same items for the most part, when a crash from behind the counter grabbed my attention and made me jump.

"It can't be." The voice was so familiar and I smiled as recognition washed over me.

"Iris West!"

"Ella Mitchell!"

"The one and only." I held out my arms as she ran around the counter and practically threw herself at me in a long overdue hug.

"Oh my god, Ella, I've missed you so much! How come you never called?" She detached herself from me before slapping my arm.

I didn't, no, I couldn't tell her the real reason, that I was so embarrassed about my mom and what she did and us having to leave Central City because of it, that I couldn't call. If I did I would've broken down and told her and Barry everything.

 _Barry_.

"I'm just terrible at goodbyes." Which isn't a lie, I am bad at goodbyes, though you'd think that with the amount of times I've had to up and move because of mom that I would be used to it, but the truth is that I've never had friends like Iris and Barry to say goodbye to.

"The past is the past and you're back now and that's all that matters. Go sit, I'll make us some drinks, and we can play catch up." I obliged and made my way to the only couch and attempted to sink into it. Instead I slid down managing to catch myself before I could fall to the floor. Turns out it was one of those fancy couches that was more decorative than functional. What a sad day when you can't sink into a couch.

"I know, the changes suck, don't they? Remember when you, Barry, and I would come and just hang out after school, sinking into the couches with too big cups of coffee and listening to what the owners called the golden age of music?" A steaming cup of coffee was handed to me as Iris perched on the other end of the couch and looked at me, a small smile on her face.

"Those were the good days, and that was some pretty good music."

The smile faded from her face and I knew what was coming next.

"Why did you go?"

"Iris," She waited expectantly for an answer I couldn't give her. I wanted to tell her, more than anything I wanted to tell them both, but I couldn't. After a few moments of silence, she looked down and took a sip of her still steaming coffee. "I don't… I can't. Not yet."

"Not yet, but eventually?"

"Of course," I said with a nod.

"So where are you staying?"

"I haven't actually thought that far ahead yet. I was going to get a hotel room until I manage to find a job and a place to rent." My return to Central City was long overdue, but very spur of the moment. All I had done was pack some things and then I was gone.

"Nonsense. You'll stay with us. Barry moved out so you can have his old room."

 _Barry._

"I don't know Iris...that might not be the best of ideas." A look of confusion crossed her face before realization dawned.

"Oh."

"There we go."

"Well at least stay tonight, and then you can figure something out later. I know Dad would love to see you."

I could do this. Ignore all of the turmoil in my heart for one night, right? Especially at the thought of seeing Joe.

"Okay, sure. Sounds great." Iris erupted with happiness, practically bouncing in her seat.

"Let's go! Where's your stuff?" I pointed to the backpack and suitcase sitting beside me. Iris shook her head disapprovingly.

"Oh Ella, we need to fix this," she said, shouldering the backpack.

"Get me a job, and I'll let you take me shopping." I grabbed the suitcase and followed her out the door.

Iris spent the short walk home talking about everything that had happened since I left, but I couldn't pay attention. My mind was stuck on one thing, and one thing only.

Barry.

Barry was my first friend when I first moved to Central City, and we quickly became best friends. Then he became my boyfriend, and it was Ella and Barry versus the world. Until one day it wasn't. I didn't even say goodbye.

"What happened to Barry?"

I could tell I had interrupted her—and surprised her judging by the look of complete shock on her face.

"He got struck by lightning and was stuck in a coma for nine months but he's okay now." Now it was my turn to look at her with complete and utter shock. "And that is not what you meant."

"We're going to come back to that, I hope you know that."

She nodded and started slowing down before eventually stopping and turning to face me. "He managed." It was evident in her tone that she was done talking about it, but that wasn't good enough. I need to know more.

"Iris please—"

"What do you want me to say Ella? That he was fine? That as the days went on he didn't withdraw into himself? Because I can't say that. He was a wreck. You left him without a goodbye, without an explanation. You were just gone. You were supposed to be there for him, and you weren't. You packed up and left in the middle of the night, and after a three-year relationship, you didn't have the decency to say anything? He loved you so much, and you guys had plans. He was broken." She was breathing heavily. Iris and Barry had been best friends their whole lives, and she was so protective over him. I deserved her anger.

We had made it to her front steps by the that point and before opening the door, she turned back to face me.

"Listen, I'm sorry I blew up like that. You know how much Barry means to me, and you wanted to know."

A sad smile found its way onto my face "And I appreciate that. No hard feelings. Really." I gave her a quick hug before she opened the door and made her way inside.

"Hey, Dad!" She ran over to Joe and gave him a kiss on the check.

"Hey, baby, you're home early."

"Well, you'll never guess who I ran into."

She turned him around, and his entire face lit up, and so did mine.

"Ella!" Joe was the guy who unofficially adopted me when mom and I moved here. My own father had up and left right after mom had me, so I had never had a father figure in my life until I met Joe. Until then, I never realized how much I was missing out on. "What brings you back to this corner of the woods?"

"Oh you know, after graduating I needed to do something different and thought where else to go than my beloved Central City."

"Well, we're glad to have you back." He said, wrapping me up in a giant hug.

"I also invited Ella to stay until she gets back on her feet," said Iris, chiming in from the kitchen where she had grabbed a glass of water.

"Of course you did, because you're my daughter, and I raised you right." Joe said, letting me go. "You can stay in… Barry's… room." As soon as he mentioned Barry everything came flooding back, and I could tell it did for him too. I spent most days in this house with Barry, so every nook and cranny held memories upon memories of the two of us. I didn't realize how much my heart could hurt until this moment.

"Iris, how about you got get some takeout while Ella unpacks?"

"Sure, Chinese?"

Joe nodded, and Iris headed out, calling the restaurant as she left and leaving me with Joe.

"Ella I'm sorry." He said as soon as the door had shut.

"It's not your fault Joe." He gave me that look. The whole 'you really expect me to believe that godawful lie you're telling me' look. "Okay, it's a little bit your fault, but I made it worse. I don't blame you though, you did what you had to do."

"I know I did, but I hurt my family in the process, and, for that I'm sorry." I gave him a quick side hug before I made my way upstairs, Joe having offered to carry my bags.

He set them down outside of Barry's room, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze before heading back downstairs. That was one of the great things about Joe: he knew when to step back.

As I pushed open the door, all the memories of the times I spent in this room with Barry came rushing back. Working on science projects, college applications, and the first time we kissed.

I half-sat, half-fell on the bed. I miss him. I still miss him. So much.

 _I was the new girl,_ and _I was late. Such a great way to start at my new school. Note the sarcasm._

 _I looked down at the schedule in my hand. I was attempting to get to my freshman homeroom class, and I couldn't figure out where the room was. I looked down at the paper again, trying to find myself and my class on the little map on the bottom of the paper. Not being able to find either, I turned down two more hallways before magically stumbling upon the room. I opened the door with a bit more force than I intended to, causing the entire class to stare at me and my face to turn red._

" _I see you've finally decided to join us, Miss Mitchell." I managed to tear my eyes away from the group of students staring at me to the teacher at the front of the room._

" _Sorry, I got lost. It's a big school."_

" _Take your seat by Mr. Allen over there, and don't be late again." She pointed to a brunette two rows back who gave me a smile. I made my way over and sat down next to him._

 _The teacher was going on about policies and other unimportant things, so I ignored her and instead tried to memorize the ridiculously tiny map on the bottom of my schedule._

" _AP Chem? That's an upperclassman elective." I looked up and saw Mr. Allen looking down at my paper._

 _He was kind of cute, in an adorable, geeky way. His hair stuck up in all different directions, and I'm pretty sure I could see the superman emblem peeking out underneath his hoodie._

" _I kind of really like science."_

" _I'm the same way." He then looked up at me, and all I could see were his gorgeous green eyes. "I have that class too."_

 _I smiled and held out my hand for him to shake. "I'm Ella. Ella Mitchell."_

" _Nice to meet you Ella Mitchell, I'm Barry Allen"_

I shook myself out of the memory, deciding to unpack my one suitcase and change out of my travel clothes instead of dwelling on all the memories. When I was done, I headed downstairs and saw that Iris had just gotten back and was setting up the different cartoons of Chinese food on the table.

I inhaled, the smell practically making my mouth water as I realized just how hungry I was. Joe passed out the plates, and we loaded them up with food. As we were, the front door opened.

"I hope you've got room for one more." My eyes widened as I recognized that voice. How could I not? I used to hear it all the time, wishing me good morning and good night, telling me random scientific facts throughout the day, as well as telling me that he loved me.

I was frozen. I didn't know how to react. What do I say? Do I apologize, do I pretend nothing happened, do I hope that he doesn't notice me? No, that's silly. He'll see me. He's not blind.

It felt like hours, but all of these thoughts passed through my mind in mere seconds.

"Hey Bar, we've got company." Said Joe. "You remember Ella, right?" Joe's comment brought me back to reality, and the reality was that I had to turn around and face him.

So I did.

"Ella." His voice was barely above a whisper as he stared at me with the blankest of stares that I couldn't tell what hurt more. Seeing him again after all this time, or his lack of a reaction towards me.

"Hey, Barry." He dropped his bag, the thud excruciatingly loud compared to the silence of the past minute. He turned to face Joe.

"You're kidding me, right? Is this some sort of joke?" He took a few steps closer, as if he wasn't sure what would happen. Barry turned to face me, his green eyes full of anger. "What the _hell_ , Ella? You think you can just waltz back in here like everything is fine and nothing happened? That's not how it works." I was stunned, I had no idea how he would react. I knew he would be angry at me, but I didn't realize that he was going to take it out on me the first time he saw me again. "You left. You forfeited all rights to this family when you walked out without a care and without a goodbye. You might not have cared, it might not have bothered you, but you hurt every single person in this room when you walked out. Every. Single. Person." He ended up directly in front of me, his chest heaving and his breath heavy. He was so close that his breath tickled my face, and I could see the truth, honesty, and anger in his eyes, and I had no idea how to react.

Before I could do anything, Joe stepped forward.

"Bartholomew Henry Allen, I know I raised you better than that. You will not raise your voice to a guest in this house, and, as a scientist, you know better than to make assumptions before having all the facts. Now, you can either apologize and join us for dinner, or you can leave. Ella is staying." He stared me down before walking away, grabbing his bag before slamming the front door after him. I winced at the sound and felt my eyes start to flood, and I calmly made my way upstairs, ignoring the calls of Joe and Iris behind me and shutting myself in his—no— _my_ room and leaning against the door.

And then I let myself cry, sliding down the door in the process.

A few moments later, I heard a knock on the door.

"Ella? I brought you your food." It was Joe. I wiped away my tears the best that I could before finally getting up and opening the door.

"Thanks, Joe," I got out between sniffles. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know he was coming over tonight, and I should've done something." He set the plate down on the desk before sitting down on the bed, patting the spot next to him. I joined him, and he placed an arm around me.

"I thought I would be fine, or as fine as I could be considering. But seeing him and Iris after what I did made me realize how bad it was. And all I did was run away. I ran away then, and I ran away now."

"Ella, none of this is your fault. Your mom didn't give you a choice. It's her, not you. You didn't run away."

"But I hurt him, Joe. I didn't have to do that, and I didn't mean to do that. I loved him, and how did I show him? By destroying him."

"It was _not_ your fault. It was a terrible situation that had no good outlooks. Okay?"

He was right, but I still couldn't help but take responsibility for all of it. The reason for leaving might not have been my fault, but how I treated them all after? That was all me.

I nodded, and he got up.

"Eat up and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Love you, Joe."

"Love you too, Ella." He closed the door softly, and I leaned back onto the bed.

You can do this, Ella. Just take it one day at a time.

It had been a few days since the showdown with Barry at dinner, and things were still tense around the house. I hadn't left my room much, preferring to stay in the comfort of my bed watching Netflix and snacking on barbecue chips. Iris and Joe had kept their distance, deciding not to bother me. Until today.

I was in the middle of a documentary about the food industry when the door slammed open. I ignored the intruder and continued to watch until the blinds were thrust open and the covers ripped from the bed.

"Close the blinds! It's too bright!" I scrambled for something to cover myself with, trying to reach the blanket, but I failed, instead curling into a ball, trying to keep warm.

"No, Ella, you need to get out of this room." It was Iris who had disturbed me. "This is pathetic. There's a bag of chips at the bottom of your bed." I looked up and saw one hand with the covers and the other perched on her hip.

"Well, they were up here with me until you took my blankets from me."

"Not the point. The point is you need to get up and get dressed. You have your first day of work today.

I was extremely confused. "I didn't apply for any jobs."

"Well I talked to my boss at Jitters, and they could use an extra pair of hands, so I got you a job."

"Iris, you didn't have to."

"Yes I did." She threw open the closet and rifled around until eventually throwing a pair of black jeans and a gray t-shirt at me. "You're my friend, so get up and shower. It's been a while. You start at 10:30." She left the room, taking the blanket with her, and I checked the time: 9:37. Shit.

I made it to Jitters with moments to spare. Iris was behind the counter serving some coffee to the one customer in the place before she turning to face me.

"Back office—there's aprons hanging behind the door. Grab one and come back." I quickly obliged, tying it around my waist as I came back out to the front.

"Okay, so this is how you operate the espresso machine."

Four hours later there was a light coating of sweat on my forehead, whipped cream stains on my shirt, and I'm pretty sure I had accumulated some semiserious burns on my hands and arms.

"Iris, I'm dying here."

She looked over at me from the cash register where she was ringing up the last person from our mid-afternoon rush.

"Go take your break, I'll join you in a minute."

I tore of the apron and hung it up before curling into the uncomfortable couch as much as I could, kicking off my shoes and relieved to finally be off my feet.

A moment later, she came by, bringing an iced coffee and placing it in front of me.

"I suck at this."

"No you don't!" I glanced at her skeptically before taking a sip of the coffee. "Okay, so maybe you're not the best at this…."

"There we go."

"But, you tried something new, and you'll get better at it."

"Honestly, Iris, I don't think I want to get better. I'm not cut out for this line of work."

"I'm actually kind of glad to hear you say that. You don't actually have a job here." The coffee I had been drinking spewed out of my nose as I stared at her in disbelief. She put me through all of that for nothing?

"You're kidding, right?" I searched for some napkins to clean my face and the table.

"Well, no. Someone had called in, and you had hardly left the room since Barry unleashed himself at dinner. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get you out of the house."

"You know, if you weren't my friend, I would be really mad at you."

"I know, but I did this out of love." She checked the watch on her wrist, "Look, I get off in an hour. Why don't you take the computer in the back and try and find a real job?"

"Yes, ma'am!" I gave her a small salute, and she laughed as she headed back to work.

I had just clicked submit on my third application when Iris poked her head around the door.

"Ready to go?"

"Definitely." She hung up her apron and grabbed her stuff, and we made our way out.

Of course, we got no further than five feet before running into none other than Barry Allen.

"Hey Bar!"

"Iris! Hey!" He was obviously startled and had dropped the files he was holding. I bent down to help him pick them up, and, as I handed them back, he looked straight at me.

I used to be able to read Barry like he was an open book. His emotions were always clearly displayed on his face, but I had also gotten to know him so well that I could tell the difference between his sincere emotions and the ones he faked. Now as he looked at me I saw nothing. It was the same face, and the same green eyes that looked at me, but I had no idea what he was thinking or feeling and it was upsetting.

"Hey Ella, how are you doing?" He said as we both stood up.

"Good." I said, brushing imaginary dirt off my jeans so I didn't have to make eye contact and look into what now felt like a stranger's face.

"Well, I need to go, I was just grabbing a quick cup before meeting Caitlin and Cisco at STAR labs," he told Iris before heading into Jitters. Before he was completely gone, he turned around. "Nice seeing you Ella."

My mouth dropped open in shock as Iris pulled me away.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" She said lightly bumping shoulders with me.

It really wasn't, but the memory of what Barry said at dinner the other night came forward. He wasn't usually the kind of guy to blurt things out like that. He was more careful with his words, not usually overcome with emotion, but I guess there's a first time for everything. But he must feel some form of remorse. If not for what he said, then the circumstances under how it came out.

If he was willing to at least nicely acknowledge my presence, then maybe he would be down for fixing things. I couldn't tell him why, not yet, but I could at least talk to him and rebuild the friendship and hope that when I do tell him he understands.

When we got home, Joe was sitting on the couch, flipping through the TV channels.

"Hey guys! Oh, Ella, I got your application today, can you come in for an interview tomorrow or are you busy at your other job?"

I narrowed my eyes at Iris as she laughed.

"Nope, no other job. I'll be there. What time?" I headed to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water, taking a sip waiting for Joe to respond.

"Officially 9, but 9:10 because Barry is always late." The water came spewing out of my nose for the second time today as Iris laughed her ass off.

"That's twice today now, Dad, she did the same thing when I told her she didn't actually have a job at Jitters."

Ignoring her, I turned back to Joe. "Why Barry?"

"Because he's the CSI, and you applied for the position of CSI assistant." I opened my mouth to say something, but Joe held up his hand to stop me "Listen, I know things aren't great with you two, but we're all family and we're all going to have to learn to get along. I know this isn't ideal, but we just have to make do."

I sighed as I plopped onto the couch next to him. "I know, I know. But he hates me."

"Not true," said Iris, settling down on the other side of me. "He said it was nice seeing you."

"Yes, but at dinner the other day he went understandably batshit."

"It will be fine. You'll also be at the police station, so what's the worst he can do in a building full of cops?"

"Not helping, Joe."

"It'll be fine kiddo. Now, who wants pizza?"

As Iris got up to get the phone and order pizza, I settled back into the couch. Joe was right. Barry and I did have to figure things out, and sooner or later we would need to talk, but having all these interactions before we were able to was going to make everything more tense. Granted, I was hoping that talking to be could happen later rather than sooner, but apparently the universe didn't want that to happen.

And by the universe I mean Joe and Iris.

I was leaning against the kitchen counter drinking orange juice and watching the clock tick by. It was currently 8:45, and I knew I would have to leave soon if I were to make it to the station on time for my interview. I was nervous, that much was obvious. I didn't know what was going to happen. My chance at a great job was in the hands of a man that I had emotionally hurt and I had no idea how he was going to act this time. Was he going to yell at me like at dinner, or was he going to be nice like at Jitters, or was he going to be indifferent? I had no idea, and I had no idea which one would be better. I grabbed my things before making my way to the station, trying to push all thoughts of Barry out of my head. Which of course, worked just fine until I got to the station and had to find him.

As soon as I opened the doors, I was amazed. I had never seen a police station before that looked anything like this. It was extremely modern and open, with a gorgeous high ceiling, yet it still had the old-school touch.

I found the receptionist and walked up to her, "Hi, I'm Ella Mitchell. I have an interview with Barry Allen."

"Okay you just head on up those stairs, and his lab will be on the right. You can't miss it. It's a good thing you're here because we've been overrun with cases recently because of the Streak."

"The who?"

"The Streak? This blur of a guy that runs around saving people and fighting crime?" she half laughed before continuing, "Have you been living under a rock?"

Wow. Bitch. "No, I just moved here." I said, lacing my voice with sarcastic sweetness.

"Oh, well, good luck." I heard the snark in her tone and gave her a sassy smile before rolling my eyes and heading upstairs to find Barry's lab.

He wasn't in there when I found the lab, so I walked in and looked around. The first thing I noticed were two desks piled high with stacks upon stacks of papers from, I'm assuming, various cases that he's currently working on. The back of the room had no wall. Instead, it was a giant window, overlooking Central City. The station was next to the park, so I could see people walking their dogs and enjoying their mornings. I turned back around and noticed a big corkboard with a map of the city and red pins all over it.

I heard footsteps and voices approaching.

"What are these?" It was Barry.

"Applications for your assistant." And that was Joe.

"I don't need an assistant," there was a pause, "okay, maybe I do. But I have a lot to do today so I don't have time to interview people."

"Yes you do, the top file is waiting for you in your lab." I heard Barry sigh and mumble "fine" before walking into the lab and stopping dead in his tracks when he noticed it was me.

"Ella."

"Hi, Barry."

He flipped open my file and looked down at it before looking back at me, then to the file again, then back to me.

"What are you doing here? Don't answer that, you're here for the job interview. Actually, no, _please_ answer that. What are you doing back in Central City? Why are you at Joe and Iris'? Why are you in my lab right now? Why are you here with me?" With every question he asked me, he stepped closer and closer until he was directly in front of me. Other than dinner the other night, I hadn't been this close to him since I kissed him goodbye after school the day I left.

"I wanted to make things right." I reached for his hand, holding it in mine. He looked away from me and down to our hands then back to me, and I could finally read him. His green eyes conveyed nothing but sadness.

"Then tell me why you left. That's all I want Ella. Why did you leave me?" And in that moment, his composure broke, and I could see how much my leaving had affected him, and my heart broke all over again. I wanted to tell him, but I couldn't. Not yet, when I was still running away from it. His other hand reached out as if to cup my cheek.

"Barry I-" His eyes hardened and he dropped my hand and pulled the other one away with incredible speed.

"You'll get a phone call at the end of the day if you got the job or not. Thank you for coming in." He turned away and moved to one of the desks, half-heartedly attempting to neaten it, but instead making it messier.

I wanted to say something, anything at all, but I couldn't. So instead I walked out of his lab, turned the corner, and leaned about against the cool stone wall, squeezing my eyes shut and trying not to cry.

 _It was only the second day of school, and I was swamped with homework. I had half a book to read for advanced freshman English and eighty-five AP Chemistry problems. Eighty. Five. I walked into my AP Chem class, my hands filled with books and paper, and made my way to one of the stations. Our teacher hadn't assigned lab partners yet, and class wasn't supposed to start for another five minutes, so I grabbed my book and started reading._

 _A few moments later, someone sat down next to me._

" _Hey, hot stuff. I'm Tony."_

 _I looked up. A cocky guy with brown hair, big muscles, and a letterman jacket was now sitting next to me._

" _Ella."_

" _You don't look like a senior."_

" _Nope." I was hoping the short one word answers would deter him, but he was still here. Great._

" _Are you-"_

" _Good morning class, how are we doing today?" Our teacher, Mr. Witt, said as he walked through the doors, putting his briefcase down on his desk._

 _A couple of people mumbled "good" and "great," no one wanting to say anything._

" _It's only the second day, have some more enthusiasm!"_

 _This time no one said anything, and an awkward silence came over the class._

" _Okay then..." He searched in his briefcase for a moment before pulling out a sheet of paper. "Here's your seating chart." The class groaned, but I was secretly thrilled. As long as I wasn't partnered with this Tony guy, who was still trying to talk to me. "Lab partners cannot be switched. You'll be with them for the rest of the year. No 'but Mr. Witt' because I do not want to hear it. I'm here to make sure you pass the AP test with a 5, and that's it. Come find your new partners."_

 _I sped out of my seat and headed to front of the classroom, along with most of the class. I managed to peak at the sheet over someone's shoulder but couldn't find my name anywhere. When people started clearing away, I grabbed the sheet and scanned for my name and finally found it._

 _Ella Mitchell and Barry Allen._

 _I looked around, trying to find the cute boy from homeroom, eventually locking eyes with him as he was already sitting at our lab station. He gave me a small wave, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I wasn't partnered with Tony._

 _I grabbed my things and made my way to my new station, sitting down next to Barry._

" _Okay class, spend the rest of the time working on your homework and getting to know your new lab partner. Tomorrow we'll continue with our lesson."_

 _I looked at Barry to find that he was already looking at me, and I blushed._

" _Want to get out of here?"_

" _But we have a ton of problems to do. Shouldn't we work on them?"_

" _It's just one day," he said as he packed up his stuff, "we'll be fine. Plus, Mr. Witt also said we need to get to know each other."_

 _I contemplated it. I needed to make friends, but I also needed to study. Especially if I was going to get away from mom after high school._

 _Barry looked at me again, his green eyes sparkling. How could I turn him down?_

" _Okay, sure, let's go." I quickly packed up my things and followed him out of the classroom when Mr. Witt wasn't looking._

" _What class do you have next?" He asked as we pushed open the front doors to the school._

" _Study Hall, you?"_

" _Gym. Come on, I know this place that you'll love." I hesitated again, but this time he grabbed my hand. "It's the end of the day, your last class is study hall, no one will miss you there,_ and _we can get our AP Chem done. Trust me, I want this done as much as you do."_

 _I stared at our hands. He was holding my hand! "Okay." I said a smile forming on my face._

 _A giant smile lit up his as he pulled me along. "You'll love it!"_

I didn't go back to Joe and Iris' after the interview. Instead, I grabbed a newspaper and made my way to the train station. The next train to Starling City was leaving in 5 minutes, and it would be so easy to just get on and pretend like I was never here. Instead of buying a ticket, I sat on a bench and flipped through until I got to the real estate section. I wasn't going to fix things if I was cooped up in Barry's old room, trying to forget all the memories we had in there together.

It took a while, but I somehow managed to find a reasonably priced studio apartment downtown. The agent I had called said the apartment was available to view today, so, instead of getting on a train and running away, I made my way back into the city to set down some roots.

 **Hey there friends!**

 **It's been a little while since we've spoken hasn't it? Last time we spoke I told you guys that chapter three would be up in a few days and it's been over a year. I am so sorry. My only excuse/explanation is that I had a case of writers block. I really bad case. But It's slightly better now, and I decided to revisit and rewrite this fic because I love it and the characters so much. So here's the rewritten chapter one! I'll upload the other rewritten and the new chapter I have for you guys soon! I hope you enjoy this, and please be gentle!**

 **Tori x**


	2. Chapter Two

"You'll never guess who came into work today."

"I don't know, Iris, who?" I had the phone pressed between my cheek and my shoulder as I walked out of the leasing office. I had just signed a lease for a small studio apartment, and I was so excited.

"Tony. Tony Woodward."

"You're kidding right?" I was making my way back to Joe and Iris' to pack up the small collection of belongings I had amassed in my short time back in Central City.

"I wish. He did that thing where he called me 'hot stuff.' Ugh he really creeps me out. He obviously peaked in high school."

"Tell me about it. I had AP Chem with him. Well, until he dropped."

She laughed "Anyway, I'm almost home, so I'll see you there?"

"Be there in a few!" I hung up and continued on my walk. I needed to see about getting a car soon, or even a bike. A few seconds after I hung up with Iris, the phone rang again, this time a number I didn't know.

"Hello, this is Ella."

"Hi, Ella, this is Captain Singh with the Central City Police Department."

"Oh, hi, captain, how are you?"

"Well, thanks. Listen, I know you don't start until Monday, but we have a stolen yellow Humvee, and _Barry_ is currently MIA. I need someone to do the CSI stuff. We have a kit here, so just bring yourself." He gave me the address then hung up, and I turned around, making my way to the scene.

When I had gotten the phone call from the station the day of my interview telling me I had gotten the job, I was pleasantly surprised. Especially because Barry and I hadn't gotten around to having an actual interview, instead having an emotionally charged and extremely confusing few minutes before parting ways. I was also pretty sure that Barry hated me so the fact that I had gotten the job was even more confusing.

When I eventually showed up to the scene, it was quite a sight: a bright yellow Humvee with no driver's side door and three empty ATMs in the back.

"What kind of a tool steals a yellow Humvee?" I mused aloud as I approached the vehicle.

"What kind of a tool _buys_ a yellow Humvee?" said a blonde, very attractive detective. "You must be Ella," he said holding out his hand, "I'm Eddie."

"So you're Iris' boyfriend." I said, shaking his hand.

His eyes opened wide in panic as he looked around, "Shh! Joe doesn't know yet."

"Joe doesn't know what?" Said Joe coming up behind Eddie. All Eddie could do was look at me, panic still etched onto his face.

"That I just signed a lease for my own place."

Joe's face dropped and Eddie let out a giant breath he had been holding in. "You're leaving us?"

"We both knew the arrangement was only temporary. Besides, I'll be back often. I can't cook to save my life." I added with a smile.

Joe and Eddie both laughed as Captain Singh came over.

"Enough with the chit chat everyone. Get to work."

Eddie and Joe both scattered and I took the CSI kit that Singh was holding and made my way to the vehicle. I put the book covers on my shoes, slid on some gloves, and looked very carefully at the scene, taking pictures, collecting evidence and prints from the car as well as the machine. Something threw me off though, as I examined the side of an ATM. There was a hand-sized dent in the side.

I grabbed Eddie's attention and motioned for him to come over, handing him a pair of gloves.

"Can you find the ATM locations and check the cameras? I know this sounds crazy, but I swear this was ripped out by hand."

"Oh, not you too," he said, putting on the gloves.

"What do you mean?"

"Barry always has these insane theories about why things happen when there is usually a perfectly rational explanation."

I turned back to the car. "That's Barry for you," I mumbled. "Just, satisfy my curiosity and put your hand here please?" He placed his hand in the indent. "See? It fits."

"I mean, I guess but—wait, what's that?" There was a gap between two of the ATMs, which meant we could see something else behind them. There was no way in hell I could move any of these things, so I climbed into the back and peeked from behind the seat.

"It's a keg. From Rusty… Rusty Iron Ale." I finally managed to make out.

"I know that place. It's in Keystone. We'll head that way tomorrow."

"We? I thought Barry would do this kind of thing. I'm only his assistant."

"Well that's what he gets for not showing up. Plus, we can get to know each other better." I climbed out of the car and stood next to him. "Thanks for saving my ass with Joe earlier. It means a lot."

"Not a problem, Eddie."

"Anyway, I'll check those cameras and let you know what happens."

My phone chimed as he left. It was a text from Iris.

 _Where are you? Thought you would be home by now._

 _ **Sorry, got called in for work 'cause *someone* wouldn't show up**_

 _Damn it Barry.. You met Eddie yet?_

 _ **Nice guy, cute too. You didn't tell me Joe didn't know! Almost blew it for you.**_

 _So sorry! See you soon?_

 _ **On my way!**_

The next day I was at the station getting briefed on the case with a bunch of other detectives. At the last possible moment, Barry walked in.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Allen," said Captain Singh, handing him a file and passing them out to the rest of us. Barry stood next to me at the edge of the room. "So, according to our database, our guy is Tony Woodward."

I turned to face Barry to catch him doing the same, the look of surprise on his face mirroring mine. I fished a pen and old receipt out of my bag and wrote, _He was at Jitters yesterday with Iris_ ,before passing it to him. His eyes widened as he reached for my pen.

 _Is she okay?_ I nodded, and Singh dismissed us, so we made our way back to the lab.

"What do you mean he was with Iris? What happened?" He said after closing the door. I could tell he was starting to get angry.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that he went into Jitters, hit on her, and then left."

Barry groaned in frustration before slamming his fist down onto the table. His face scrunched up in pain as he held his hand.

I rushed over to him, took his hand, and stretched it open, resting it in mine. A small "ow" escaped his lips.

"You need to calm down."

"You need to calm up! Or un-calm or whatever. Don't you remember what he did to you?"

"Of course I remember, but getting angry about it isn't going to help." I pulled him over to the sink, ran the cold water, and put his hand into it. He winced and tried to pull it away, but I wouldn't let him.

Tony used to always hit on me during school, after school, before school, at band practice, at football games, at basketball games, he even showed up at the state science fair. When I started dating Barry nothing changed. In fact, it only got worse. He would show up at my house late at night, and he somehow managed to show up on my dates with Barry.

There was a knock on the door before it got pushed open.

"Hey, Ella, are you in there?"

I let go of Barry's hand and jumped away. "Yeah, Eddie, hey, hello." I grabbed my bag and headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Barry asked. I must've been mistaken because I was almost positive I could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Eddie and I are going to Keystone. There were some kegs in the back of the Humvee, and we're going to go check it out."

"Oh. Well, great."

I gave him a small smile, but he had already turned around, putting his hand back in the water.

And just when we were making progress. I closed the door to the lab with a sigh.

After spending a few hours in Keystone with Eddie, I was beat, so I stopped at Jitters for a little pick me up before heading home to pack. Walking out of Jitters, steaming macchiato in hand, I was about to head home when a figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Ella Mitchell." I jumped almost dropping my coffee. It was Tony.

"Tony Woodward. What a surprise." On the inside I was completely freaking out, but I hoped that wasn't showing.

"You don't sound happy to see me."

"Well, after what you did in high school, are you really surprised?" His hands balled into fists at his sides, and I took a small step back.

"You just had to go and pick Allen instead of me." He stepped towards me. "What was so great about him? He's just a stupid nerd." He slowly kept making his way towards me.

I stepped back, eventually bumping into the rough brick exterior of Jitters. "He's a good person. He respected me _and_ my personal space."

"Oh, I respect you all right." He took one last step, which caused his body to be press against mine, and he held me to the wall. "You're sexy as hell." His hand trailed down my side, resting on my hip.

"Tony, stop!" He didn't. Instead, his hand snaked around my waist, jerking me towards him, making me drop my coffee.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against him, almost managing to get away from him when he grabbed my arm. Or at least what should've been him. When I looked down at where his hand should've been, a metal one was there instead. And he was holding very, very tight.

"No, Ella. You're mine this time."

A group of young girls walked out of Jitters laughing and sipping their drinks, when one of them turned and saw us. She must've seen the news because recognition flashed on her face, and she pulled out her phone. Before she could do anything though, Tony had let me go and grabbed her phone, crushing it. His hand returned to normal as he dropped the phone, and, at this point, I was more confused than scared.

The girls had run off, and he was about to leave, but not before turning to face me one last time.

"This isn't over, Ella."

By the time I got back to Joe and Iris', I just wanted to curl up in bed with barbecue chips and Netflix. But of course, the universe did not want that to happen. Iris was sitting at the dining room table writing an article for blog about the Flash, while Joe and Barry were sitting on the couch talking.

"Hey El-" Joe started as I came through the door.

"What the hell happened to you?" Barry interrupted, running over to me. He held my arm carefully while examining the handprint-bruise that was now forming on my forearm.

"Nothing, I'm fine." I started walking away, but he followed.

"Don't lie to me, Ella. What happened?" I started making my way up the stairs, and Barry still continued to follow.

I stopped in front of the bedroom door before turning around to face him. "I ran into Tony, okay? Happy?" I went into my room and slammed the door shut behind me before sinking into the bed.

Barry came in a few seconds later and closed the door quietly behind him before sitting next to me.

"No, of course I'm not happy." He said quietly. He slowly reached out and cupped my cheek. Tears started to flood my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Barry. I'm so, so sorry."

"I know, Ella-phant. I know."

And I knew with the use of his old pet name for me that things were going to be okay.

" _See you tomorrow, Ella!" I waved to my co-worker as we walked separate ways out of the building—she towards her car and me headed towards my house. As she drove off, I noticed one car left in the parking lot. Tony's car. I picked up the pace and changed my direction, so I was heading in the opposite way of where his car was. His lights turned on, and he drove towards me, keeping pace as he rolled down the window._

" _What're you doing walking home alone? Where's your boyfriend?"_

 _I ignored him and kept on walking, but he wouldn't leave._

" _Come on, Ella, I'll give you a ride."_

" _No thanks, Tony, I'm alright walking."_

" _It's not safe for a girl like you to walk alone on a night like this."_

" _I'm fine, Tony."_

 _Suddenly the car sped up, and he pulled around before stopping in front of me. Tony then climbed out of the car and crossed the short distance until he was in front of me._

" _I don't know why you picked Allen over me. He's just a stupid geek."_

" _Tony, not now, please, I just want to go home." I moved to step around him, but he grabbed ahold of my arms and stopped me from going anywhere._

" _I could give you so much more. I'm on the football team. I'm popular. I could take you anywhere you wanted." He had started leading me back towards his car, and, no matter how hard I tried to wiggle out of his grasp, it didn't work. He was bigger and stronger than me, and I couldn't get away. But I tried._

" _Stop. Trying. To. Leave. Me." He slammed me against the side of his car, pain shooting down my back._

" _Tony, please."_

" _Yes, baby?" He pressed himself onto me, pinning every single inch of my body down with his._

" _Let me GO!" I started screaming, but one of his hands clamped over my mouth, as I screamed into his palm._

" _Now, now, that wasn't very nice." With the hand that wasn't over my mouth, he grabbed a lock of my hair, twisting it around his finger._

 _I felt his hands run down the sides of my body, the weight of him enough to keep me pressed against the car. He squeezed my butt and tried to put his tongue in my mouth, but I bit him. Pulling away, he grabbed my throat and held me to the car, shaking his head._

" _That was a mistake, Ella" He opened the car door and threw me in the backseat before climbing in the driver's seat and speeding away._

" _Tony, what the hell are you doing! Slow down!" I tried to open the door, but it was locked, and I couldn't unlock it from back here. He must've put the child lock on. I could see the needle on the speedometer steadily going up as Tony kept his foot on the accelerator._

 _I pressed myself into the seat and fumbled as I tried to put my seatbelt on, and I looked around. We were about to pass the police station, and I just hoped that they would notice._

 _Tony turned to face me. "It's okay_ — _I said I'll take care of you."_

 _Tony had veered off course, and I saw headlights coming straight for us._

" _Watch out!" He turned back and quickly jerked the wheel, taking us out of the path of the oncoming vehicle. But he couldn't regain control of the vehicle, and the last thing I remembered were the branches of the big apple tree next to the station poking through the window before I blacked out._

I woke up in a cold sweat, the memory of my car accident with Tony fresh in my mind. As my breathing slowed, I finally realized I wasn't alone. Before I could do anything though, a hand covered my mouth, and I felt someone picking me up. Even though it was the middle of the night, there was just enough moonlight to be able to distinguish his features. _Tony_. I tried to fight back, but it was useless. I was half asleep, and he was ridiculously strong, and he managed to get me out of my window and into a vehicle, keeping my mouth covered the whole time as he drove away.

I started to recognize a few of the streets signs as he continued to drive.

"Are you going to start screaming?" I shook my head. "Good." He removed his hand, and I took a deep breath. He eventually stopped in a parking lot, and I looked around. We were at our old high school.

"Remember this place, Ella?"

"What's the plan here, Tony? Finally going to go for that G.E.D.?" He gripped my arm tight as he pulled me out of the car, dragging me into the building. His entire body had turned to metal as he tossed me down the hallway. I slammed against a locker, wincing in pain as he slowly walked towards me.

"You were supposed to pick me, Ella. Not him."

I scrambled against the lockers, trying to get farther away, but he kept coming until he put his hands on either side of me, trapping me where I was.

"Why did you pick him? You could've done so much better than him. You were perfect. Smart, kind, and gorgeous. But for some reason you didn't want to be with me. You wouldn't even talk to me or be my friend. You just blew me off for him without giving me a chance. I saw you guys sneak out of Chem class a ton to do god knows what. I liked you so much, but you never gave me the time of day."

Maybe I could talk him down. "Tony, you came on way too strong. You called me 'hot stuff' the first time we met. You didn't understand the word 'no.' You latched yourself onto me without wondering or even thinking about what I wanted. Barry and I went to Jitters to do our work. Nothing happened."

"Bullshit!" He slammed his fist into the locker once more, and I flinched at the sound, trying to recoil, but there was no where to go. I know I should probably stop, but it wasn't as if the situation could get any worse.

"We could have been friends if you hadn't of come on so strong."

"That's because I loved you. I still do."

I shook my head. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't have almost gotten me killed that night!"

I could see the tension leave his shoulders. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"Then what did you want?"

"I just wanted to be with you. I wanted you to notice me as more than just the tough jock guy. I was more than that. I _am_ more than that." He reached his hand out and stroked the side of my face, his eyes filled with sadness and longing. I had never seen this side of Tony. He had never let it show. And I knew that I had to be very careful with what I said next.

"Then why did you think going 90 miles an hour in the middle of town and not watching the road was a good idea?"

"We turned out fine, didn't we?"

"How did you know? You left me there alone. You wrapped us around a tree, and you walked away unscathed. Meanwhile, I had a dislocated shoulder, a fractured wrist, and three broken ribs!" I was breathing heavily, but I couldn't calm down.

"I looked for you. In the hospital, I tried to check on you, but they wouldn't let me because I wasn't family. But Allen was allowed in."

"Because my _mother_ let him in. Because _he_ was my boyfriend, and _he_ didn't leave me for dead." I hit his chest at the last part, and it was as if I had knocked him out of his trance. His eyes hardened, and the anger was back in full force.

He punched the locker a few inches from my face, making my eyes widen in fear as it caved around his steel fist.

"I didn't want you to die! I wanted to show you I was worth it!" His voice made me cringe. I was scared, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Please," I whispered "Don't hurt me, Tony. We were so young. I didn't know. I didn't understand."

"There's no one here to stop me from showing you now."

A gust of wind blew my hair around my face.

"You're wrong."

Tony and I both turned to the voice, and there he was. The mysterious Flash everyone was talking about.

"You just can't stay dead, can you?" Tony said before leaving me and lunging at the Flash, his entire body turning to steel. I had heard about Flash, but I had never seen him until now, and he was living up to his namesake. Red flashes were swirling around Tony as he tried to attack the flash with no success. I was frozen to my spot against the lockers, entranced by what was going on in front of me but also terrified that if I moved they would remember I was there.

The Flash slowed and slid through Tony's legs, and the next thing I knew I was moved all the way down to the end of the hall.

"Wait here," he said, his face vibrating, so I wouldn't be able to see who he was.

"Okay," I managed to get out before the two continued fighting again. This was the most intense and and interesting thing I had seen in a long time, and I couldn't help but be captivated by it.

"I've known guys like you that peaked in high school. You were a bully then and a bully now." He was taunting Tony, and it was making Tony really angry. Angry enough that Tony was starting to get a few more hits in, and the Flash was going to lose. The Flash grabbed a flag pole and tried to swing it at him, but Tony grabbed it and used the force to slam Flash back through the lockers into the wall. He crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain.

And then he was gone.

"There goes your hero." Said Tony, slowly making his way towards me.

"We can talk about this, Tony. Please, let's talk."

He stopped walking and just looked at me, considering my proposition. "Okay, let's—"

A gust of wind blew my hair back once more. Noticing, Tony started to turn his entire body to metal again, but it wasn't fast enough. The Flash burst through the doors and punched him so hard that he went flying, turning back into his regular, human, unconscious self.

A flash of red, and then he was in front of me again. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Are you okay?"

He slid down the locker next to me and joined me on the floor. "I think I broke my hand."

I heard the tell tale sign of police sirens in the distance as they made their way towards the school.

"That's my cue," he said before speeding away, taking Tony with him.

I leaned back against the locker and closed my eyes. Jealousy. That's all this was. Tony was jealous that I had a relationship with Barry when he wanted to be with me. He just had a really weird way of showing it. And now that the Flash had taken Tony, who knows what he was going to do with him? He might have saved me, but was I really in any danger? It sure felt like it to begin with, but, after he opened up to me, I wasn't so sure.

The doors to the school burst open, and Joe and Eddie came through, looking around.

"Ella!" Said Eddie, rushing towards me. He kneeled down in front of me, checking me for injuries. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Eddie, just tired. The Flash saved me."

"Of course he did. But you're okay?" He held out his hand and helped me to my feet. I could detect a hint of something in his voice. Jealousy? Dislike? Was Eddie not fond of the Flash?

"Yeah, I'm good." But I wasn't, not really. I was physically hurt and emotionally confused, and I didn't like either feeling.

I made my way to Joe, who gave me a giant hug before asking all the same questions Eddie did.

"It was Tony, wasn't it?" I hadn't realized Barry was here too, but there he was. Floppy brown hair and gorgeous, green eyes laced with concern.

I nodded, "Yeah, but it's okay—he wasn't going to hurt me, not really. But the Flash saved me."

"He's uh, a pretty good guy, right? Saving people and all that?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet as he said this, breaking our eye contact.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess so," In the moment, I was glad he had shown up, but now I wasn't so sure. I had gotten through to Tony, and we were starting to understand each other. "Anyway, I need to get some rest. Goodnight." And with that I walked out of the school, wishing it was just as easy to walk away from my confusion and feelings but also wishing I had been given the chance to walk away from Tony with a better understanding of what had gone on. I know the Flash was supposed to be my hero, but I had believed Barry was my hero in high school. Believing that only hurt Tony, and now the Flash trying to save me, hurting Tony again. Maybe he wasn't the monster. Maybe I was.

 **Hey there everyone!**

 **Thanks so much to those of you that have read, favourited, and followed my story! It means a whole lot. Sorry it's taken me so long to upload a second chapter, I've just been having so many computer problems and it is so stressful.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think!**

 **Three should be up before the end of the month (fingers crossed!)**

 **Tori x**


	3. Chapter Three

A few days later, I dropped my bag with a thud in the middle of the apartment and looked around. This place was _mine_. I smiled, proud of myself.

"Nice place." I spun around quickly and saw the Flash leaning against the wall next to my window.

"How did you...?" I took a step towards him.

"Super speed, remember?"

"Right," I paused, "Thank you for saving me the other day." I was still conflicted, but I wasn't going to rude.

"No problem, it's kind of what I do."

"How did you know where to find me?" I continued to step closer to him, and he stayed put, his head vibrating to mask his face and voice.

"He tripped a silent alarm at the school. I have a…contact at the police station who let me know, and you know the rest." He gave a small shrug to signify that it was no big deal.

"Either way. Thanks."

He gave me a big goofy smile before speeding off, the breeze rustling my hair. I sighed before turning around, seeing my apartment completely unpacked and organized.

"Thanks, Flash." I whispered quietly.

That night I found myself sitting on the roof of my building looking out over Central City, trying to clear my head. In one direction, I could see STAR Labs, the sight of the tragic particle accelerator explosion, which reminded me—I needed to ask Barry about that coma he was in for nine freaking months. In the other direction, I could just see the lights of Starling City. I was sitting on the edge, my legs dangling over the side of the roof, when I heard the squeak of the roof door as it opened behind me.

"You're sitting a little too close to that edge for comfort."

I turned around and saw a guy about the same age as me leaning against the door frame. Dirty blonde hair flirted with his eyelashes and curled around his ears. A small smile played on his mouth as he looked at me.

"Maybe I like the risk." I smiled back. He was cute, that's for sure.

He pushed off from the door frame and made his way over to me, joining me on the ledge. Far enough away that we weren't touching but close enough that no one could sit between us.

"Maybe I do too." He placed his hands in his lap, making me notice his well-worn jeans that were faded in all the right places. I made my way back up to his face, noticing that his eyes were a light gray.

"You're the new girl, right? Just moved in?"

"That's me. Third floor." I looked down again and noticed that he was fiddling with a worn friendship bracelet tied around his wrist.

"I'm on the fourth." I nodded my head, not really sure how to continue the conversation but also not wanting it to end. "I'm Luke, by the way." He held out his hand.

"Ella." I took it and shook, noticing how warm it was and that my hand fit nicely in his.

"Well, Ella, it was a pleasure to meet you." He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed it before letting it go, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. A warm blush found its way to my cheeks, but I couldn't look away. I hadn't felt anything remotely like this since I was with Barry, and it scared me and excited me at the same time.

"If you ever need anything I'm up in 4F, just stop on by."

I watched him as he got up and made his way to the door, turning around to give me a small wave before heading back into the stairwell.

I turned back to the city, thinking of Luke when I heard the squeak of the door as it was being pushed open once again. I spun around, even more surprised to this time see Barry leaning against the door frame in the exact same way Luke had just moments before.

"It's not safe over there," he said, finally breaking the silence.

"Maybe I like the risk," I said before realizing they were also the same exact words I had said to Luke a few moments beforehand.

Instead of responding, he joined me on the ledge, sitting so close that our thighs were touching.

"How are you? Really?"

"Why do you care?" He winced, and I realized it had come out harsher than I had intended.

"I've always cared." His hands were resting on his knees, but he stretched out his pinky until it was touching my knee. My heart started to race, but I refused to look up at him, instead keeping my eyes glued to his hand.

"Still?" I stretched my pinky out until it was barely touching his.

"Always." We linked pinkies, and I looked up at him to find him already looking at me, his green eyes staring intently. Slowly, he started leaning forward, slightly angling his head, and I did too. This was it. I was finally going to kiss Barry. We slowly moved closer, leaning into each other, but then police sirens blared, and we burst apart, the moment shattered, just like the silence.

"Well, that's my cue." I looked at him, confusion and hurt etched on my face. "Singh will probably call needing a CSI."

"Oh." We stayed there, our pinkies somehow still connected for a moment longer before he got up and made his way to the door.

"Hey, Ella?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay away from the edge, please." And then the door shut behind him. I was left on the roof alone once again, and a hell of a lot more confused than when I first arrived.

The next morning, I stumbled into work, hair un-brushed, no makeup on, and desperate for coffee. After Barry had left the roof, I had tossed and turned all night, thinking about our almost kiss, my conversation with Tony, how I felt about the Flash saving me, and how I'm pretty sure I almost tried flirting with that other guy, Luke. I finally dozed off just before six, only to sleep through all four of my alarms, only waking up when a bird flew through my open window and scared me awake with ten minutes to make it to the station.

"Good morning El—woah, Ella… you look—" said Eddie as I passed by his desk.

I held up my hand to stop him from continuing with that train of thought. "Don't even start, Thawne. Don't even start."

"Wonderful! I was going to say wonderful!"

"Uh-huh, good save." I ruffled his hair with a smile, ignoring his protests before sliding on past and making my way up to the stairs to mine and Barry's lab.

I turned on the coffee pot and dug around in my purse for something to tame the wild mess that is my hair. Not finding anything, I picked up my brand new CCPD mug, turning it over in my hands. Despite tossing and turning all night, I was still just as confused about everything as I was before I attempted sleep. I had never stopped loving Barry, that much was obvious from last night, but I had also never felt any real attraction to anyone other than Barry until Luke showed up on the roof. And then there was the Flash, who saved me from Tony, but did I really need to be saved? After all those years, we were finally starting to communicate, and then the Flash came in and took him away.

"Good morning, Ella." I jumped and dropped the cup, expecting to hear a crash as it hit the floor. Instead, I found it being held out in front of me.

"Wha…?" I followed the arm, seeing Barry. "How did you…?" I looked between him and the cup, blinking rapidly before shaking my head."Never mind." It must be the lack of sleep playing tricks on my mind, because there's no way he could've caught that.

Right?

"Are you okay?" He poured my coffee and handed me back my mug before pouring one for himself.

"I think so. Just tired." I took a sip, feeling better immediately as the caffeine worked its way into my system.

"So about last night." It took all of my might to not spit out my coffee in surprise.

"What about it?" I avoided looking at him, staring intensely at the cup in my hand instead.

"We should talk. About it. What happened."

"Right. Yes. We should probably do that."

"What happened?" Joe walked into the lab, followed by Eddie, and I had never been more glad for someone to interrupt a conversation. "Jeez, Ella, have you never heard of a hairbrush?"

"Joe! We don't talk about Ella's hair. It's lovely," whispered Eddie.

"Thank you, Eddie." I said trying, and failing, to smooth it down some more.

"Ella's hair aside, what happened?"

"Oh we were just talking about Tony, and how we're glad he's finally put away," said Barry, smiling at me. I didn't reciprocate. I couldn't because I wasn't so sure that was the best thing anymore.

"Actually, I was curious if you happen to know who the Flash's police contact is."

"What makes you think he has a police contact?" said Eddie, furrowing his brow. "Is there a mole here?"

"The Flash is on the same side as us, Eddie," said Barry, defensively.

"Uh-huh. Let's agree to disagree, Allen."

"So none of you know?"

"Why do you want to know?" Asked Barry, not answering my question.

"I just wanted to see what happened with Tony. Where he ended up." I looked down, avoiding their gazes, "And I wanted to talk to him."

"What! After what he did to you? Then and now, what would possess you to want to do that?"

"He didn't do anything to me now." I looked back up at Barry and could see an intense anger in his eyes.

"He kidnapped you!"

"He just wanted to talk to me!" I snapped back at him. He blinked at me in surprise but bounced back quickly.

"Yeah? Well he had a funny way of showing it!"

"I need to talk to him, Barry. I was just starting to make sense of the whole thing, and he was opening up to me, and then _he_ showed up and took Tony to wherever he takes people that can turn to metal because Tony's obviously not here."

"No, you can't go and talk to him. I won't let you. He's dangerous."

"He's just misunderstood."

"I said NO!" We had moved closer to each other during the argument to the point where our chests were practically touching, and we were both angry and breathing heavily. I could see where Barry was coming from. He was concerned for me, and he just wanted me to be okay, but he couldn't see that Tony wasn't going to hurt me. He refused to see that. I let out a large breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"You can't tell me what I can and can't do Barry." And with that, I walked out of the lab.

I went home, even though I should have stayed at work. I just couldn't handle being there around Barry. Not when he refused to understand. I walked into my building, heading to the mailboxes when I saw Luke there. Great. I looked terrible, and I just ran into someone I wanted to avoid. I stopped walking and made a move to turn around, but, before I could get away, he saw me.

"Hey, Ella, right?" I nodded and smiled. "How are you this morning?"

"Oh you know, I'm okay. You?" I unlocked my box, grabbing the few things inside before locking it again.

"Yeah, yeah, me too. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime?"

My eyes widened in surprise. I wasn't expecting this from Luke, though I can't say I don't mind.

"Um, yeah, sure, that sounds nice. When?" We started walking up the stairs, and I found myself walking slower than usual, so I could spend some more time with him.

"How about today? Say lunch and coffee at noon?" I looked down at my wrist, expecting a watch to magically appear there, even though I've never worn one and don't see myself doing so anytime soon.

We had made it to the third floor, and I stopped outside my door.

"That sounds nice." A giant smile lit up his face at my response, and I couldn't help but reciprocate.

"Great. I'll come get you at noon." He turned, and I watched as he took the stairs two at a time, before turning around and making my way into my apartment. I had limited time to look casually cute, and my first priority was a shower.

By the time I got out of the shower, it was just past eleven, and I needed to hurry and get ready. I wrapped myself in my robe and headed to the living room to grab my phone from my purse when a breeze ruffled the bottom of my robe.

The Flash was leaning against the counter, holding my phone out to me.

"Are you telepathic now too?" I said, taking it from him and pulling my robe tighter around me.

He ignored me as he stared at me, lost for words. I looked down, curling my toes under my feet and twisting my brown hair behind my shoulder.

He cleared his throat before looking back up at me. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Just...uh…just checking you're okay." His eyes looked me up and down and as I looked down, the full reality of the situation hit. I was practically naked in front of the Flash.

And he was checking me out.

I blushed, looking down, hiding the small smile that was starting to form. The Flash was checking _me_ out.

"Checking I'm okay, or checking me out?"

"I-I uh- you- of course- out-okay! Okay of course."

"Oh, right. Of course. Of course." I shook my head, causing water droplets to fall on my toes, which was exactly the wake up I needed. "Anyway, I have a date, so I would—"

"You have a date?"

He sounded surprised, and it was like a stake through the heart. "Why do you sound so surprised? Am I not allowed to go on a date?"

"No, it's not that I just thought—"

I turned around before he could see how his words affected me. "You know what? Never mind. Just do that thing you're good at and go." And before I could take a breath, I felt the now familiar breeze, and I knew without turning back around that he was gone.

I was just sliding my shoes on when I heard a knock at my door.

"I'll be right there!" I shouted towards the door as I hopped towards it, trying to get the damn sandal on my foot. I managed to slide it on and opened the door, slightly out of breath, with a smile on my face.

"Hi!"

"You okay? You sound a little winded?"

"Ah, that's the result of me getting into a fight with my shoe." I stepped out of the apartment and shut the door behind me.

"I'm assuming you were victorious?" He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together, and it felt so natural. I hadn't felt this way since high school and my dates with Barry.

"Of course, though he was a worthy opponent and put up quite the fight."

Luke laughed and gave my hand a squeeze, causing me to smile.

"So where are we going?" I asked as he held the door to the building open for me. I whispered a thanks ,and he led me towards what I assumed was his car.

"You'll see, I just need to grab something, hold on," he opened up the trunk and pulled out a picnic basket and a blanket before closing it and grabbing my hand once more.

"You're taking me on a picnic?" I said with a smile lighting up my face.

"That I am, Ella, that I am."

We walked and talked on the way to the park, and, before I knew it, he was spreading out the blanket, and we were sitting, and he was pulling out this amazing lunch that there was no way he had prepared himself.

Which is what I told him.

"You doubt my sandwich making abilities? My feelings are hurt." He said with the biggest smile, contradicting his words.

"Okay, so things I know about you." I folded my legs up underneath me and put down my sandwich.

"Down to business. I like it." He folded his legs underneath him and put down his sandwich, mimicking me. "What do you know about me?"

"Your name is Luke, you live on the floor above me, you like meeting strangers on rooftops, and you make amazing sandwiches."

"And here are the things I know about you. Your name is Ella, you like staring out across the city on rooftops, live one floor below me, and would like to get to know me more."

I picked up my sandwich again, slowly nodding.

"So tell me something about you."

"Tell you something about me?" he thought for a second before grinning and speaking again, "Well, I met my last date on Tinder, and her whole reason for being on there was to see if any of them are metahumans. She had this fantasy that one would be and the Flash would save her, so she swiped right on everyone. That definitely discouraged me from dating for a while." He said with a smile and a laugh.

His laugh was infectious. I was expecting something along the lines of his favorite color or what he does for a living. Not a personal story about his dating life.

"Okay, so enough making fun of me. Tell me something about you?"

The smile left my face, and I sat there in silence for a moment.

"You know, it doesn't have to be as embarrassing as mine," he stage whispered before taking a bite of his sandwich, his gray eyes locking with mine.

"I was a huge nerd in high school. Marching band, pep band, science club, the whole thing."

"You? Never!"

"It's true. I spent almost all of my time reading and researching. I was in upperclassmen science and math classes freshman year, and, by my senior year, I was taking 300-level college classes."

"That's actually really cute. So what do you do now?"

"I'm a CSI assistant for the CCPD."

"Oh, so professional nerd?" he said, laughing.

"Professional _crime fighting_ nerd," I returned with my own laugh.

I reached for my phone for the first time since we left and realized that two hours had passed.

"I should be getting back," I said whilst stretching. I went to get up and found an outstretched hand waiting for me. "Thanks."

"At least let me walk you home." I waited as he quickly picked up the picnic, and then Luke linked hands with me once more, and we made our way back to our building.

We slowly made our way up the stairs, and outside my door we stopped. I turned to face him.

"I had a great time," I told him, trying to hide the smile that was forming on my face.

"Me too. Maybe we could try this again sometime?"

"Maybe," I said with a giant smile before I opened the door to my apartment and watched him go up the stairs. When he was out of sight, I made my way inside and closed the door, leaning against it, the smile still taking over my face.

"What's got you so happy?"

I screamed and jumped, turning to the kitchen where the voice came from, and found Barry sitting on the counter, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Jesus, Barry! What the hell?" My hand moved to my heart. and I slinked down against the wall, trying to calm my heartrate.

"You should really learn to lock your door."

"And _you_ should learn not to go into people's apartments and make yourself a cup of coffee without permission!"

"Okay, fair enough." He jumped off the counter, walked over to me and held out a hand. I grabbed it and let him pull me up, before slapping his arm, which was a lot more muscular than it used to be. "And I deserved that."

"Yes you did." I walked over to the kitchen to get myself a drink, and Barry followed.

"So you never said what's got you so happy," He jumped back on the counter, and I leaned against the wall, watching him.

"I was out. On a date."

"With who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" He screamed, startling me. The mood in the room changed instantly, and I knew this wasn't a talk I was prepared to have, but it was one that had been brewing for a long time.

I took a deep breath, trying not to let his anger and frustration feed in to me, but it wasn't working. "It's not like there's a future for us, Barry. You've made that _extremely_ clear. You almost kissed me yesterday, and then this morning said we need to talk about it? If not kissing is causing this many problems, then why should I even think about kissing you?"

"I made that clear? You're the one that left _me_!" His face was so raw, and I could feel that pain deep in my heart, but now I was really starting to get fed up with him blaming everything on me, and it was really hard not to blow up on him.

"I was seventeen, Barry! A minor! My mom screwed up, and we had to leave. Why can't you see that? I didn't make the decision to go. I _had_ to go!"

I exhaled, suddenly exhausted. The sleepless night catching up with me. I knew I couldn't keep pushing this conversation away but I just couldn't do it today. "I think you should go, B." I turned around, blinking back the tears that were now starting to form. "This is the second time you've shown up unannounced in two days, and you don't seem to know whether you want to yell at me or kiss me. Please," I said, getting quiet, "just go." I heard footsteps and could feel the heat radiating off of him as he reached around me and set the cup in the sink, brushing my arm ever so gently. "If that's what you really want, Ella-phant," he said before leaving me alone again once again.

 **Long time no see again, am I right?  
If there's no one reading this, I wouldn't be surprised. It's been just over a year since I've uploaded even though I've had this chapter ready for almost that amount of time. There are no excuses, I just never uploaded it. But here it is and I _am_ working on Chapter 4 right now so that should be up a lot sooner than this one was. Either way, if anyone is reading this, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think. **

**Tori x**


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